Perdido Street Station

I picked up this book because my friend, Dave, recommended it to me. He's given me some really good recommendations in the past that I was impressed with, so I spent the past half year trying to hunt it down. More exactly, he said I'd really get into this book, it was right up my alley.

By the first several chapters, I was really into Meiville's world. China Meiville has an amazing use of language and really creates a lush world in New Crobuzon; also, the world felt very similar to the nightmarish quality of the film Mirrormask, and so I was enjoying the ride right from the start. The characters were introduced and immediately I felt like there was going to be some really good development and good twists. I was excited and the world was fresh and vitalized.

Then he threw the handlingers at me, and that's when it all went sour.

The biggest flaw with almost every sci fi and fantasy author is that they spend more time on developing a unique world than they do working on a plot that is remotely interesting. Perdido Street Station has this same problem and I knew it once those handlingers popped onto the scene only to fight for half of one chapter. China Meiville obviously did a lot of backstory for his world, however, instead of using that to enhance the plot, he tells it to you, like he's reading from his notes. When the Construct Intelligence comes to life, it GIVES the characters it's life story, right in the middle of an extremely tense part in the book. Why are you listing for me all your backstory notes, China? Are you trying to prove to me that you did some back history? Don't be so obvious about it. Instead of enhancing the story, it shows that he didn't do any work on the plot: there is none. This is your simple "kill the monster" story. All through the book I was hoping for some intrigue, something that complicated the story, something that I overlooked. C'mon, even Harry Potter can give me that!

Second sin of all mediocre sci fi writers: liberal use of swear words. I understand in the heat of the moment, needing language to show vehemence, fear, and excitement, but if you've already spent all your ammo in the daily usage of language, then you've got nothing to bargain with. In the most tense moments of this book, they could have been enhanced if Meiville had shown some control through the rest of the book.

Lastly, the third sin of all mediocre sci fi writers: pointless sex. Ultimately, anything that doesn't advance the plot just kills it. You're either adding to what the book says and where it goes/develops by a scene or you're not. I'm assuming that, in the loss of plot in this book, Meiville didn't feel it was necessary to obey this cardinal rule and threw in a bunch of easter eggs because he wanted the book to sell to his "demographic audience" of sci fi readers. Sad.

Now that I've bashed this book apart, I did enjoy what I got: a wild, vivid world, luscious language and a fun ride. A part of me wonders if this book wasn't written specifically to become a movie. It's got all the simple ingredients that a "summer blockbuster" needs, but as a book, I was kind of let down. In order to enjoy something so wonderful as literature, I'd like to have a bit more plot than just an amazing world. Meiville could take a few hints from Dan Simmons as to how to create an amazing world and still maintain an interesting plot.